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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rule — government
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rash — hasty
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. club — for dancing
  10. band — a ring
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wind — moving air
  14. last — finally
  15. rule — a law
  16. rash — a series
  17. fall — the season
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. last — to go on
  20. club — a group
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. band — a music group
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com